Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on January 10, 2004 01:26 AM
Computer people, and I count myself as one, and just as guilty as the rest, have a bad habit of taking ordinary dictionary words, and give them new "tech-speek" meanings. Sometimes I swear it must be our version of a secret handshake or something.
I think it would have been better for all the articles to have refrained from using words like "free" and "usable", and instead give a clearer explaination in plain English, since the meaning of each can be misread.
I've seen funny phrases like "free as beer". Don't get that one. I pay for my beer, then pay for it again after drinking too much of it. I must be out of the loop.
"Usable" a bad word to use, since it presupposes the listener knows who the user is, and what the task is. Is Linux usable? To whom? For what purpose? I have a shovel that isn't very usable, since I have a bad back and live in a second floor apartment. Why do I have a shovel? I don't know, but if I ever need it, I'll have it. See what I mean?
I agree that the whole thing could have been made clearer. Maybe tomorrow's article on the subject will do the trick!<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:)
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Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 10, 2004 01:26 AMI think it would have been better for all the articles to have refrained from using words like "free" and "usable", and instead give a clearer explaination in plain English, since the meaning of each can be misread.
I've seen funny phrases like "free as beer". Don't get that one. I pay for my beer, then pay for it again after drinking too much of it. I must be out of the loop.
"Usable" a bad word to use, since it presupposes the listener knows who the user is, and what the task is. Is Linux usable? To whom? For what purpose? I have a shovel that isn't very usable, since I have a bad back and live in a second floor apartment. Why do I have a shovel? I don't know, but if I ever need it, I'll have it. See what I mean?
I agree that the whole thing could have been made clearer. Maybe tomorrow's article on the subject will do the trick!<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:)
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